Cyclone Phet Strikes Pakistan

In June 2010 the coastline of Pakistan was threatened by cyclone Phet. Met Department had predicted that the devastating cyclone would hit Pakistan after striking Oman first. As the Makran coastline is near to Oman, it was to bear the major force of the cyclone. Gawadar, Pasni, Ormara and other coastal areas of Baluchistan were evacuated, fishermen were warned not to go out in the sea and swimming in the sea was banned. However despite all the precautionary steps, the cyclone caused heavy damage to life and property as many houses collapsed and people lost their lives; hundreds of boats were washed away in the sea as well. Some coastal areas were cutoff from the country as the flood water inundated the roads. Actually it was the torrential rains and gusty winds which did much of the damage.

The coastal areas of Sindh also sustained damages but not as much as Baluchistan as the intensity of cyclone had lessened. Thatta and Badin were the worst affected areas. The mega city of Karachi was spared as the cyclone hit between the Karachi coast and Keti Bunder. In the Sindh Province too, wide spread rains wreaked havoc. As usual electricity was disrupted for hours, water gushed in the low lying areas even roads in urban areas turned into lakes rejecting the tall claims of the government. People in the relief camps too complained of inadequate measures of the government.

On the brighter side, the cyclone brought relief from the sweltering heat which had gripped the country as weather turned pleasant after the rainfall. The water level in the rivers increased. The entertainment starved people turned the cyclone into the butt of their jokes. SMSes like “Interior Minister claims Taliban have accepted the responsibility of cyclone in Pakistan” and “Due to KESC’s load shedding, the cyclone lost its way and missed Karachi. KESC khapay” brought smiles on people’s faces. Although people were warned not to go near the beach, people thronged the beach to see the giant waves crash against the shores.

Some things never change; this phrase is particularly true for the people and government of Pakistan.

Climate of Pakistan

The climate of Pakistan is as diverse as its topography. In the north the home of mountains, the winters are extremely cold with temperature in minus. Most areas remain covered with snow for most part of the year. The severe cold at times forces people to migrate to warmer places. The summers are cool and the best time to visit these places. The northern areas receive their fair share of rains.

The plains of Punjab have hot sultry summers and cold winters. They also receive a lot of rain during monsoons.

Baluchistan has very hot summers and cold winters. Some parts of Baluchistan like Ziarat and Quetta receive snowfall during winter. Baluchistan gets its rain during winter.

The coastal areas of Sindh and Baluchistan enjoy mildly cold winter season. The summers are hot but the cool sea breeze makes it bearable. They receive erratic rainfall. Upper Sindh experiences very hot summer and cold winters and it rains mostly in monsoon.

Pakistan is a unique country from climatic point of view. Within the span of Pakistan, almost all kinds of climatic conditions can be experienced. From the mild small range climate of the coastal regions where oceanic effect is also felt in winters, the extreme continental climate with very hot summers are also experienced in Pakistan.

Average rainfall in Pakistan and Effects of Climatic Changes on Agriculture

Pakistan is located in a temperate region which accounts for most of its dry weather throughout the year. Mostly it is dry and hot with spells of rainfall in the months from July to September bringing some relief for the parched earth. The rains generally start in the late parts of June and continue till the beginning of October depending on the intensity of the South-West monsoon which is the main source of rainfall. The weather continues to remain oppressive as the rain does little to bring the temperatures down. Even if the temperature slips down a degree or two, the humidity present in the air poses discomfort for the people living in the nation of Pakistan. The average rainfall in the entire of Pakistan is measured to be around 255 millimetres which is very less considering the amount of land under farming. Most of the crops go to waste due to the low average rainfall in all areas of Pakistan. Even in the rainy season, all the parts of Pakistan do not receive equal amount of average rainfall. In fact, some parts of the desert area of Pakistan receive little or no rainfall throughout the year.

The increasing effects of global warming on the agricultural climate in Pakistan are posing huge problems for the government and the people. Due to the increase in temperature and the scarcity of adequate rainfall, the agriculture in Pakistan is facing a severe crisis which can threaten to blow out of proportion if proper care is not taken in time. A single example which would greatly emphasize this point would be the statistics which show that the carbon emissions have increased 9-fold since 1980. This has led to a meteoric rise in temperature which in turn has given rise to worse yield of crops. The agricultural climate which is ideally suitable for the perfect yield is far from being available which is evident by the declining growth of crops with every successive season. The scarcity of adequate rainfall poses drought problems which does nothing to help the yield. Another primary reason for the degradation in the agricultural climate seems to be the reduction in the forest cover over the entirety of Pakistan which seems to have further reduced the amount of rainfall which is generally expected in a calendar year.